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March Sugar Detox Challenge

There’s so much I want to say! I’m going to try to keep it organized and well thought out, rather than word-vomit all over this page.

So YES! I am doing a SUGAR DETOX for March! (I’ve actually started today, because Monday just makes more sense to me.) I have had this on my mind for quite some time, but didn’t decide until last week that I was going to go forward with it so soon. There are multiple reasons that I’m doing this. Let me share my top 3 with you:

Infertility. You may be asking yourself, “how in the heck is this related to sugar?” Well let me tell you something…when it comes to our bodies and our health, EVERYTHING is connected. Now to get a little more personal with you (because we’re friends), my husband and I have been trying to have a baby for 3 years. Obviously unsuccessfully. (For the record, I am always open to talking about this with anyone. Not a secret or something to be afraid to ask us about.) The doctors we’ve seen have done multiple tests and treatment on both of us and can’t find anything wrong. But there’s obviously a problem because – no baby! Lately in my nutrition studies, I’ve been researching and learning a lot about hormones, and what I’ve been learning is that our hormones are highly affected by our blood sugar levels. When we’re eating a Standard American Diet (SAD), our blood sugars are on a roller coaster and our insulin simply can’t keep up. Many Americans are pre-diabetic, pre-pre-diabetic, or even diabetic and aren’t even aware of it. (A topic for another day.) But the point is, my blood sugars are most likely affecting my hormones, which could be playing a major role in why we’re not conceiving.

Weight Loss. Although managing my blood sugar is my number one reason for doing this sugar detox, a little bit of weight loss is going to be a major perk. Cutting refined sugar from your diet is a sure-fire way to lose those few extra pounds and keep them off.

Clear skin. The short version of this is sugar leads to inflammation which leads to wrinkles, sagging, and worsening acne and rosacea. NOBODY wants to look older than they really are (nobody over like 25, that is). Clear skin is something I’m always after. Read more about why sugar is bad for your skin.

These are just 3 of the many benefits that we can look forward to by eliminating refined sugar from our diets, and ones that I am very excited about.

I plan on eliminating all refined sugar for the entire month of March. This pretty much means no pre-packaged, processed, “man-made” foods, because *almost* all of those are made with refined sugar. And although good carbohydrates (fruit and some vegetables, as well as grains), are just that, “good,” I plan on limiting my intake of those as well, just for the purpose of regulating my blood sugar. (But I am tracking it carefully and am aware of the healthy amount for my body.)

I want to point out that I don’t plan on doing this forever. I fully believe in treating myself to decadent dark chocolate (my fave) or a sweet bowl of ice cream every once in a while. But I do feel that a month with no sugar at all will benefit me in more ways than I mentioned above.

Something else I’ve learned about myself from Gretchen Rubin and her book Better Than Before (I have yet to read it but plan on it soon as I’ve heard SO many amazing things about it!), is that I am an Obliger. According to Gretchen, an Obliger is someone who easily meets outer expectations, but struggles to meet expectations they impose on themselves. For example, if I make a commitment to someone else, I have to follow through. If I make a commitment to myself, I just don’t feel the push to do it. So in order to build habits and make a change in my life, accountability is huge for me (for obligers in general). That’s why I’m telling EVERYONE about this sugar detox, including you 🙂 I know I won’t fail if I have multiple people holding me accountable, as I just can’t bear to let anyone down! Learn about your tendencies from Gretchen Rubin by taking a quick quiz.

Okay friends, I would LOVE if you would join me this month in sugar detoxing and getting our bodies on track! Let’s do this together! If you’re participating, use the hashtag #HNLSugarDetox on social media. I’d love to see your progress, share struggles, successes, and recipes, and just support each other along the way! We’ve got this!

What tips do you have for sugar detoxing? Share in the comments below!

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3 thoughts on “March Sugar Detox Challenge”

I love this! You’re basically re-inspiring me to do a No Sugar month which stinks because I was so ready for that ice cream on my birthday! On another note, have you ever heard of stickK.com? It’s a goal-keeping website where you can (if you so choose) put a price on your goal. Money will be taken out of your account every time you do not “check in” as meeting your goal. I’m starting two new goals this week. If you want, we can work as supporters of each other on there!

Here is a website with some easy crock pot recipes: http://blog.paleohacks.com/20-easy-paleo-crock-pot-recipes/
They are the random could be fun type of recipes. I hope you like them. I’ve tried more of the snacks like banana chips or making sweet potato chips in coconut oil because I love to snack. Those are really easy as well to make. Good luck on the month long sugar de tox. When I decided to eat differently, I was reading navy seal fit- and heck no I am not trying to be a navy seal haha the talked about nutrition which was called the cave man diet where he groups all the healthy and Not healthy choices and why. The part though that really pulled me in to the book were his chapters on why we do things. He wanted you to take a pen and paper and write down what feelings motivate us whether good and bad and the reasons they motivate us. Then keep the good ones and try to flip the negative motivations. I learned a lot about myself and how to change and nourish myself emotionally into doing things out of good reasons. If you would like to know more about it let me know. I love Brene Brown. Her vulnerability talk was one of the first talks leading me on my becoming the way the Lord sees me quest. I’m rooting for you!!!!